Up until now all those idealised images of Incan Peru, cobbled streets, stone walls, mountains and alpacas, have all been pretty much been the foundation of all things touristy up until now. The gloss on an otherwise westernising country trying to move itself forward whilst trying desperately to retain an identity of it´s own. Well today that all changed. It came into reality in full force. Ollantaytambo, bit of a mouthful but a lovely town! It was to be our ´home´for an extended period. To give us time to chill and relax and actually settle somewhere.
We´d arranged a taxi for an expensive 100 solés but for the sake of ease, comfort and speed (we wanted out of Cusco) we agreed it and set off. Our driver was José a local Quechuen man who was proud of his language and culture and knew a LOT about it! He didn´t speak english so we spent a whole hour and a half chatting away...in spanish! Didn´t think I knew that much, once I get past ´my name is...´it goes downhill from there. We chatted about the Incans, the set up of cusco as a market town and meeting place for the various incan communities. Then we began to chat about the country we drove through. It´s agriculture. It´s people. What those red bags on sticks actually were? (when a family has made a batch of Chicha, a fermented maize drink of the Incans, they place a red bag on a stick and folks come to drink there...I think almost like a temporary bar?). The landscape was changing, the hills were rearing up, snowcapped mountains formed the backdrop to the agricultural land growing up around us until we met the Urumbamba river. A mighty river which runs right along the Sacred Valley. Instantly you could tell, and feel, why this place was called the ´Sacred Valley´ the place was fertile, was surrounded and therfore protected by the mountains and just seemed instantly to be the ´real´Peru we´d come to see. We followed the river from the town of Urumbamba (a ´false´town created recently, ie. not an original Incan town, to cater for tourists I think?) and could feel ourselves moving back through time. By the time we hit Ollantaytambo the cobbled streets had appeared, the stone walls had started to surround us and when we hit the Plaza del Armas the feel was complete. Although the Plaza was now small cafés and shops they were low key. The locals sat and relaxed around the centre whilst elderly women wrapped in their Mantas (Peruvian blankets) wearing their regional hats and plaited hair sold bread and men sat chewing the Coca leaves until their teeth disappeared. The backdrop for all this was the old Incan ruins sat on the hills surrounding us. Idyllic!
We said our goodbyes to José and arranged for him to pick us up on 30th, so we could catch our flight to Lima. Up until this point all the arranging and planning etc had happily been left to me so I decided, in my lordly manner, that today would be down to Claire! I sat in the hearts Café whilst Claire ran around finding us a hostel. While I sat I learned more about the Café. It was set up by an english lady to help the indigenous, Quechuen, women of the area to retain their culture and skills in an ever imposing western and commercial world.
http://www.livingheartperu.org/ or http://www.heartscafe.org/ for more info, you never know you may want to volunteer? Could be worth it!
I sat, and I watched, and I waited. I could see Claire was uncomfortable to begin with but after the first couple her nerves had gone (as they always do) and she was happy to visit several hostels. She came back with a plan! She´d actually found a hostel, for HALF the budget! And, as daft as it may make me sound I was really proud of her as she didn´t want to go around with little spanish, negotiating rooms and prices but she did and she did it well! We grabbed the bags and baby and headed off down the old cobbled back streets until we stood outside the place and waited...waited...and waited.
The hostel was a strange place and once the woman had gone and found keys and let us in she showed us a couple of rooms. One had a double ond a single and the other had just a double. We plumped for the double and the single. OK she said...oh...I haven´t got a key? bugger! Right, we´ll take the double then. OK, I have a key oh but...I´ll need to keep the one for the front door. There´s no one else here so the place is all yours!
Hmmm....not quite running smoothly really?
We were told to use the living room, kitchen and left to our own devices. So, as you do, we started to settle in. Unpacked a little, Used the bathroom. Went into the lounge...erm...dirty...kids clothes and what looks like homework and breakfast dishes on the table? OK, kitchen. Let´s sort the bottles. Ah...or should that be Argh!!? To say "It´s a F#~king disgrace" would have been polite. Tins of food left open for days, food in the sink and smells that would put the flies off. Milk all over the side. Microwave, oh yeah there WAS one, was the site of some wierd explosive food experiment? To begin cleaning we would need...well...a chisel to start. With the exception of the filthy kitchen, which we´d assumed was left over from whoever had stayed here last and was some time ago, the place was good. Clean room, shower - although to use the loo and close the door you had to sit on it sideways!? So we figured for half the budget we´d just buy some bleacha nd stuff and give the place a clean. Claire went off and bought the stuff came back and rolled up her sleeves. No mop! Right, I´ll just go find the girl and ask if I could borrow a mop. She MUST have one...surely? So I asked....
Ooh eck! She ran round and we explained. The place is really dirty, we pointed out the dirt and food in the kitchen, showed her the mouldy food in the fridge and asked if we could have a bag to bin it in. She said no. In turn, she ran away got someone else who spoke english who came around and in a mad whirlwind started to clean up. We explained that we were happy to clean it...we just wanted a mop. We decided it was time to leave and find something to eat! Leave them to it.
We visited the square again and found a little place, sold local Menú, and sat down to eat. We ordered and it soon became apparent that as soon as we ordered people were running around obviously buying the ingredients for what we´d just ordered!! lol!! The food was....well...below average but was edible at least so we ate up, paid and left. We headed back to the hostal.
We walked in and the lounge was full of peruvians? Are they still cleaning? nope...strange looks...yep. Erm....this is.....wierd. The Peruvians....2 kids....ah, the homework. It was theirs....CLUNK....that was the sound of a HUGE penny dropping...
Oh...
Oh dear...
Peruvian...woman...man....elderly woman....2 kids.....
SHIT! They LIVE here!!
The dirt....it was theirs!? It´s how they live!!!!
AND WE CLEANED IT ALL UP!! Basically called them filthy bastards! Phew, it was getting warm. I looked at Claire, she looked at me. Room. Now. RUN!
We smiled and walked straight into our room. Closed the Door and didn´t come out all night!
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